China can now invest in its own platinum bar products

World Platinum Investment Council and Shenzhen Hengfu Yingjia launch first platinum bar products in China

Global platinum market authority, the World Platinum Investment Council, and Shenzhen Hengfu Yingjia, a leader in precious metals products, has launched the first platinum bar products in China.

The launch is part of a new strategic partnership between the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) and Shenzhen Hengfu Yingjia (Hengfu) to develop the physical platinum investment market in South China.

The partnership with Hengfu was first announced at the 2018 China Platinum Market Forum in Shenzhen, China on 5 July 2018. The event, which was co-sponsored by the WPIC and Hengfu, focused on the development opportunities for China’s platinum market.

Under the agreement, the WPIC will work with Hengfu to develop and launch a range of platinum investment products to suit a wide range of investor needs. A number of new products will be launched throughout 2018, beginning now with high purity 999.5 platinum bars.

Available in sizes of 10 g, 15 g, and 100 g, the bars are currently sold at a low premium through Hengfu’s distribution network in Shenzhen and Guangzhou – initially be through Hengfu’s own outlets and some department stores, with online availability to follow shortly.

“While China has long been the world’s biggest consumer of this precious metal, its investment infrastructure has yet to be fully developed,” says WPIC head of China Weibin Deng.

“We see a huge opportunity and appetite to open up platinum investment opportunities in China. This new platinum bar product represents an important milestone for the market. It addresses a clear gap for spot investment, and more broadly supports the precious metal’s growth potential as a retail investment medium.

“We look forward to working closely with Hengfu to continue expanding the range of platinum investment products available to local investors,” says Deng.

“This is the first of a number of platinum product initiatives for Chinese investors that we expect to be able to announce in the near future,” Deng adds.

The announcement is the latest in a series of strategic initiatives from WPIC to stimulate further investor demand for physical platinum and increase the number and type of platinum investment opportunities available worldwide.

The WPIC has been consulting with a number of local market authorities and potential partners in China as it establishes a comprehensive pipeline of initiatives for the Chinese market. Early indications from research by the WPIC are that incremental annual demand for platinum bar and other investment products could be in the hundreds of thousands of ounces in 2-3 years.